luminary

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: lu=mi=nar=y

CIDE DICTIONARY

luminary, n. [F. luminaire, L. luminare a light or lamp, which was lighted in the churches, a luminary, fr. lumen, luminis, light, fr. lucere to be light, to shine, lux, lucis, light. See Light.].

•  Any body that gives light, especially one of the heavenly bodies.  Skelton.  [1913 Webster]

  "Where the great luminary . . .
  Dispenses light from far."  [1913 Webster]
•  One who illustrates any subject, or enlightens mankind; as, Newton was a distinguished luminary.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

luminary, n. (pl. -ies)
1 literary a natural light-giving body, esp. the sun or moon.
2 a person as a source of intellectual light or moral inspiration.
3 a prominent member of a group or gathering (a host of show-business luminaries).

Etymology

ME f. OF luminarie or LL luminarium f. L LUMEN

DEVIL DICTIONARY

luminary

n. One who throws light upon a subject; as an editor by not writing about it.

THESAURUS

luminary

VIP, actinic, big, big name, big-timer, candle, catoptric, celebrity, chief, constellation, cynosure, electric light bulb, electronics king, eminence, figure, fire, first-rater, flame, folk hero, galaxy, genius, glim, great man, heliographic, heliological, hero, heroine, honcho, idol, illuminant, illuminator, immortal, important person, incandescent body, king, lamp, lantern, lead, leader, leading light, light, light bulb, light source, lion, luminal, luminant, luminaries, man of mark, master spirit, match, moon, nabob, name, notability, notable, paramount, person of note, personage, photic, photoactinic, photologic, pleiad, pop hero, popular hero, popular idol, prima donna, principal, prodigy, public figure, social lion, somebody, source of light, star, stars, sun, superstar, taper, top dog, topnotcher, torch, virtuoso, wonder, worthy

ROGET THESAURUS

luminary

Luminary

N luminary, light, flame, spark, scintilla, phosphorescence, fluorescence, sun, orb of day, Phoebus, Apollo, Aurora, star, orb, meteor, falling star, shooting star, blazing star, dog star, Sirius, canicula, Aldebaran, constellation, galaxy, zodiacal light, anthelion, day star, morning star, Lucifer, mock sun, parhelion, phosphor, phosphorus, sun dog, Venus, aurora, polar lights, northern lights, aurora borealis, southern lights, aurora australis, lightning, chain lightning, fork lightning, sheet lightning, summer lightning, ball lightning, kugelblitz, phosphorus, yellow phosphorus, scintillator, phosphor, firefly luminescence, ignis fatuus, Jack o'lantern, Friar's lantern, will-o'-the- wisp, firedrake, Fata Morgana, Saint Elmo's fire, glowworm, firefly, June bug, lightning bug, anglerfish, gas, gas light, lime light, lantern, lanthorn, dark lantern, bull's-eye, candle, bougie, taper, rushlight, oil, wick, burner, Argand, moderator, duplex, torch, flambeau, link, brand, gaselier, chandelier, electrolier, candelabrum, candelabra, girandole, sconce, luster, candlestick, lamp, light, incandescent lamp, tungsten bulb, light bulb, flashlight, torch, arc light, laser, maser neon bulb, neon sign, fluorescent lamp, filament, socket, contacts, filler gas, firework, fizgig, pyrotechnics, rocket, lighthouse, self-luminous, glowing, phosphoric, phosphorescent, fluorescent, incandescent, luminescent, chemiluminescent, radiant, blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels, the sentinel stars set their watch in the sky, the planets in their station list'ning stood, the Scriptures of the skies, that orbed continent, the fire that severs day from night.

Sage

N sage, wise man, genius, master mind, master spirit of the age, longhead, thinker, intellectual, longhair, authority, oracle, luminary, shining light, esprit fort, magnus Apollo, Solon, Solomon, Nestor, Magi, second Daniel, man of learning, expert, wizard, wiseacre, bigwig, know-it-all, poor man's Einstein, venerable, reverenced, emeritus, barba tenus sapientes.